Best Books of 2024 — A Year in Reading

Overview

2024 delivered a rich mix of literary achievements — from inventive reimaginings and intimate family dramas to rigorously reported histories. Below, find our highlights and why they mattered.

Fiction That Resonated Deeply

James — Percival Everett

A daring reimagining of a classic tale through Jim’s voice.

Philosophically sharp and emotionally generous, this novel reframes a foundational American story with wit and urgency.

Intermezzo — Sally Rooney

Grief, brothers, and the rhythms of care.

Rooney’s most intimate work yet, following two siblings as they navigate loss, love, and the limits of understanding.

Our Evenings — Alan Hollinghurst

An elegant chronicle of class, culture, and desire.

A quietly dazzling portrait of changing British mores across decades, rendered with lyrical precision.

Caledonian Road — Andrew O’Hagan

Big-city satire with bite.

A lively, sprawling novel peeling back London’s layers from art-world salons to backstreet schemes.

Choice — Neel Mukherjee

Three interlinked stories across continents.

A morally searching triptych that examines how private decisions shape public consequences.

Debut Voices & Bold Imaginations

Martyr! — Kaveh Akbar

Identity, addiction, and the creative impulse.

A searing, funny, and vulnerable debut that follows a queer Iranian‑American poet reckoning with grief and art.

Memory Piece — Lisa Ko

From the 1980s into a speculative tomorrow.

Formally inventive and socially attuned, tracing friendship and activism through changing technologies and times.

Creation Lake — Rachel Kushner

Espionage, activism, and moral ambiguity.

A taut, atmospheric thriller that probes surveillance and complicity without sacrificing momentum.

Silver: Poems — Rowan Ricardo Phillips

A musical, erudite collection.

Verse that shimmers with intellect and feeling, mapping crisis, faith, and the everyday sublime.

Nonfiction Highlights

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here — Jonathan Blitzer

History of the U.S.–Mexico border crisis.

Deeply reported and humane, charting decades of policy and the people who live with its consequences.

The Wide Wide Sea — Hampton Sides

Captain Cook’s final voyage reconsidered.

Adventure history with a reflective eye on exploration, empire, and their legacies.

Expert Picks & Broader Favorites

Critics and books editors across major outlets routinely highlighted these titles throughout the year.

James by Percival Everett
The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer

Final Reflections

Reimagining the canon: James reframed a classic with humor and heart.
Intimate dramas: Intermezzo and Martyr! offered personal stories with universal stakes.
Genre‑bending: Memory Piece and Creation Lake stretched form and expectation.
Grounded nonfiction: From migration to maritime history, 2024’s nonfiction brought clarity to complex issues.

Recommended Picks by Mood

Mood / Interest	Recommended Books
Literary reimagining	James